Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) fisheries biologists are expecting high fishing success in 2017 on Arkabutla, Sardis, Enid, and Grenada Reservoirs. Anglers spend approximately 1.5 million hours fishing on these popular water bodies each year.

Crappie are king here, and these reservoirs are recognized as some of the best crappie lakes in the nation.

According to MDWFP fisheries biologist Keith Meals, "Crappie have had good to excellent spawns since 2012. The big year class from 2013 is over 12 inches, and there are many short fish too." Anglers should use larger baits to improve their chances of catching legal-sized fish. Crappie regulations on these reservoirs remain unchanged from last year.

Blue catfish, also known as white river cats, are the most numerous catfish on all the reservoirs except for Enid, where channel catfish dominate. Blues are larger than channels, with many ranging from 10 to 25 pounds. "Shad or flavored chicken are better baits for blues than typical catfish baits," according to Meals.

Higher water levels the last few years have boosted bream numbers. Target bream with crickets or worms when they spawn over a firm bottom of sand or gravel.

MDWFP operates state parks on Sardis, Enid, and Grenada Reservoirs for anglers who want to stay overnight.